


Let it burn

by kd_works



Category: Jane the Virgin (TV)
Genre: AU, Angst, Dangerous Situations, F/F, Firefighter, Fluff, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-09-25 22:25:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9849140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kd_works/pseuds/kd_works
Summary: Rose is a firefighter and a good one at that, but the chief of her unit doesn't treat her like one. Even though she graduated top of her class at the Academy, she is given the easiest/most boring tasks and is never allowed to take part in the action. Things change when her unit is called to a level 8 fire where Rose decides to disobey orders...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea for a while and I'm so excited to finally post it! 
> 
> I finished writing this very early in the morning and don't feel like proof reading it till tomorrow, so I apologize in advance for the mistakes.

"Ruvelle! Grab her!", a tall man shouted. His voice was muffled by his helmet and the frantic shouting of the surrounding crowd. Rose followed his gaze to the ash covered, middle-aged woman who was running back towards the burning house. 

"Hey! Stop!" Rose called as she ran out in front of the woman. Their bodies collided and they both tumbled to the ground. 

"My son! My baby is still in there! I have to get him!" the woman sobbed. 

"Ma'am, we're doing everything we can!", Rose tried to calm the woman, but it was no use and she couldn't blame her. 

"Honey, they're working on it and you're not making it any easier for them", a man in a green shirt and jeans pulled the woman off of Rose and helped her up. Rose could only assume that this was the woman's husband. 

"Thank you, sir", Rose nodded to the man and motioned for them to back up over by the fire trucks. 

As of now, the fire had only engulfed the first floor of the suburban home and lucky for them, the little boy that they were looking for was on the second floor. Some of the men in her unit were operating the fire escape ladder on the the fire engine. Carter and Owen were at the top of the ladder while Colin and Nick were operating the controls from the bottom. Finley and Max were ordered to start getting the hose ready to douse the fire as soon as the missing little boy was cleared of the area. She, however, was put on crowd control duty, meaning she had to make sure the crowd of concerned citizens stayed out of harms way.

Rose had been assigned to Unit 14 almost a year ago. She was the only girl among a group of rowdy, immature men. She was far their superior in every way, except for muscle (which was only true because the natural structure of a female is genetically and anatomically different and didn't allow for her to quite match the strength of a 6'5 male that was double her weight). Yes, they were stronger than her, but hell if she couldn't flip any of them over her shoulder and to the ground at any given moment. She was most notably their superior when it came to knowledge. She knew the procedure and protocols manuals inside and out, so well in fact, that her colleagues often asked her what to do if they were unsure. All in all, she was fit for management. She could easily be chief of her unit, or maybe even of the fire house one day (which housed 5 other units along with her own). She had graduated top of her class from the training academy in every category; water rescue, fire side, medical assistance, search and rescue, extraction unit, public relations, special forces and of course all the theory exams. She was a great asset to the fire house, so why was she only ever given the easiest of tasks when they were called into action? 

Ever since she'd joined the fire house, all she was ever asked to do was "Watch the crowd, Ruvelle", "Go back the truck up", "Hand me that", "Take that person to the ambulance", "Call for back up" or "Get that person's information". She was never given the chance to take part in the action and it was really starting to piss her off. At first, she figured it was only because she needed to gain some experience, but after the first couple months, nothing had changed. She was continually delegated the mundane, easy jobs. Things should have changed by now. All the other firefighters who graduated at the same time that she did were already searching burning buildings and extracting people from dangerous car accidents. One of her fellow graduates had even won a medal for bravery. But was was she doing? Standing around, watching the crowd. 

"We've got him", the muffled voices over the radio shook her from her thoughts. Rose looked up at the ladder, which was readily stationed at the middle window on the second floor of the home. Carter appeared in the window first. He climbed out and on to the ladder, then waited to help the little boy do the same. 

They had rescued the boy just in time as the flames had grown too large to be contained within the boundaries of the first floor. The flaming malice had begun advancing up the stairs, intending to viciously claim the unoccupied territory in its name. 

"The boy is fine, but they all need to get checked for smoke in the lungs, get them to the ambulance", the chief ordered over the radio. "Kelly, get their information before they go. Alright men, let's put this fire out", he added. Rose headed for the fire truck to help.

"Ruvelle, I thought I assigned you to crowd control", the chief's question was obviously rhetorical. 

"I'm helping put the fire out", Rose bit out louder than she meant to. 

"No, you're keeping the crowd back", he motioned to the group of bystanders that were slowly inching closer to the action. Most of them were pointing at the flames, gasping, talking amongst each other or taking photos. 

"They're fi-", she was cut off.

"Do I need to write you up for disobeying orders?", he threatened. Rose wanted so badly to challenge him, but now was not the time. 

"No", she huffed as she turned around, heading back to where she had been previously standing. She watched as her unit battled the flames. She wanted nothing more than to take part in the action. It was, after all, why she had wanted to be a firefighter. Ever since she was little, she wanted to help people and make a difference, but she couldn't do that if the chief kept holding her back. 

"Great job team. Let's pack up and go home", the chief's voice came through the radio clipped to the straps of her canvas jacket. Rose sighed as she left her position to help her unit clean up. 

The family that belonged to the burnt down house was taken to the hospital and the members of Unit 14 all piled into the back of the firetruck. The chief (James) and Max hopped in the front seats while Rose, Colin, Finley, Nick, Carter and Owen hopped into the back to sit on the benches that lined the walls of the firetruck. 

"We killed it!" Carter shouted as he pounded fists with Nick. The team cheered and congratulated each other as the firetruck drove them back to the fire house. Rose didn't speak until Colin nudged her with his elbow.

"Hey, wake up, Ruvelle", he quietly teased, he didn't want the rest of the team to hear.  

"I'm awake", her voice was filled to the brim with disappointment. She looked up at Colin and the expression on her face made him frown. 

"You'll get your shot. You're the best firefighter on this team by far. And knowing you, you won't quit until you do", Colin smiled and lightly punched her in the shoulder. 

"Nope! No I won't", she smiled back, "and thanks". Colin Jones was her closest friend in the unit, they got along really well and were constantly laughing at the firehouse. They had each others backs and there was a great deal of trust between them. All the men in the unit treated Rose like one of the guys, as did Colin, but Colin also knew (from all the deep talks they'd had) that there was much more to her than that.

"Chief James is a dick", Colin sighed.

"Oh really? I couldn't tell", Rose joked. She spent the rest of the ride talking to Colin, not worrying about her issues with the chief. 

* * *

 Rose took off her heavy fire gear, hanging it into the locker marked _Ruvelle_ , leaving her in her dark blue firefighter t-shirt and her uniform black cargo pants. She took her hair out of the bun she'd had it up in, letting it fall into loose curls down her back. It was frowned upon to have your hair down at the firehouse in case of a call, so she gathered it all together and tied it up into a high ponytail. 

Just then, Colin poked his head through the door, "Ruvelle! You in?" he asked.   

"Always!", she smiled and jogged to follow him into the kitchen where the rest of the fire boys were. After each call, they would play a game of poker as a team to wind down. It also gave them a chance to talk about the things that had just happened. Rose always looked forward to these games because no matter what cards were dealt, she would always end up winning. Another plus was that chief James never played, he always had paperwork to do. 

"What're we bettin' today, boys?", Finley asked as he began shuffling the deck of cards. 

"Cleaning duties!", Nick shouted, "I'm sick of doing dishes"

"Don't complain, bro. I'd rather do that than my job! I'm stuck on bathroom duty this week. It doesn't matter anyways, Rose is just going to win like always.", Owen complained. Rose nodded and laughed.

"You know it! You've got no chance, Nick", she challenged. The rest of the boys gasped, looking back and fourth between Rose and Nick.  

"Aight, aight", Finley tried to shush them, but failed miserably. "We're playing for cleaning duties", he shouted over their taunts. But the room went silent as he began passing out the cards. Everyone waited until he had finished dealing before picking up their hands. Rose kept a straight face as she looked at her promising hand. Another thing that Rose was good at, was keeping a straight face. Rose had many emotions, but she was able to hide them very well. It helped her seem confident to the rest of the world even if on the inside she was screaming. Her parents and relatives had always told her that she would've made an exceptional actress, or a surgeon or even a lawyer. She had learned this skill when she was young. It was a self-taught ability, learnt by looking in the mirror. It was almost like putting on a mask, it hid her true thoughts, emotions and feelings away from the world. It kept her protected, or so she thought. 

"Max, you first, man", Finley nudged the scruffy man sitting to his left. 

"Unit 14 to the loading dock. Level 8 fire. Unit 14 to the leading dock. Level 8 fire", the mechanically monotone voice sounded over the intercom as a siren shot its undulating sound waves through the halls of the brick firehouse. 

"Awe man, we just sat down", Carter complained as he threw his cards onto the table. Everyone else mimicked him and dropped their cards as well. 

Rose loved the rush of a new call. The sirens would sound and all the hairs on her arms would stand up. Her heart rate would increase and she could feel the adrenaline being pumped into her veins. All day they had to remain vigilant and awake, ready at any moment to drop everything and take action. When those moments finally came, the firehouse became a mad house. The members of the unit called, would all get up and race down to the loading docks, slipping on their black canvas pants, throwing the suspenders over their shoulders, then zipping up their matching jackets. They would grab their helmets and all pile into the fire engine, racing off to the given destination. Rose found the entire process exhilarating. Most of the day was spent sitting around playing games or goofing off, so she was thrilled when the time came to actually use the skills that she'd spent months perfecting in training. 

"105 Palm Dr", chief James shouted over his shoulder. His voice was loud so the members of Unit 14 in the back of the truck could hear. 

"Shit, isn't that where Emilio Solano lives?" Finley asked.

"No no, he lives at the Marbella hotel. That's his daughters place" Colin said. 

"I hate that whole family", Max scrunched his eyebrows together. 

"Nah, bro, you just hate rich people", Owen laughed. 

"True, true", Max nodded with a smirk. 

"I hear his daughter's hot", Nick grinned.

"Level 8 fire, boys, lets go!" Chief James shouted over his shoulder as they pulled up to the house. The severity of the situations were evaluated on a 1 to 10 scale based on how much had burned and how big the fire was, meaning that this Level 8 fire was pretty bad. 

Rose hopped out of the back of the vehicle and put on her helmet. She took a moment to asses the situation. The mansion was decently sized, not quite billionaire status, but by looking at the mansion, you could definitely tell that the owners were more than wealthy. There was a glass show room on the left side that was visible from the drive way, filled with a couple of very expensive cars. If that wasn't flashy enough, there was an in-ground pool and a hot tub on the other side of the house. 

"Sweet digs", Nick nodded, obviously very impressed. 

The beautiful home, however, was being engulfed in flames and there was no time to lose. Rose jogged up to the few people who were standing a little too close to the house for comfort. 

"Guys, I'm going to need you to back up", Rose instructed as she herded them backwards. 

"Ms. Alver is still in there", a man cried. 

"Who?", Rose asked. 

"Ms. Luisa Alver. I'm her butler. She's the owner of the house. She's a little younger than yourself. She's got long brown hair and is wearing a white shirt with cut-off jean shorts. Last time I saw her was about an hour ago, she was in the study next to the car display", he explained. Rose looked at the mansion to see if the fire was close to the show room. Luckily, it wasn't engulfed in flames just yet, but they only had mere minutes until it would be.

"Thank you", Rose nodded as she ran towards her colleagues who were getting the hose ready. 

"Chief! There's a woman in the house. We can't run the hose just yet", she informed him.

"The call said there was no one in the house, Ruvelle", chief James huffed in annoyance. 

"I just talked to the butler and he said there's a woman still in there", Rose bit out, "are you really going to chance that?". The chief rolled his eyes and called the Unit together. 

"We're going to have to perform a search and rescue. We'll split up into 3 teams of 2, Ruvelle you stay here and call for back up and the extra person will be in my group", cheif James ordered. 

"The butler said he last saw her in the study about an hour ago, let's search there", Rose suggested.

"That was an hour ago, she could've moved", the chief brushed off her idea. 

"Chief, the study is next to the car display and that's where the fire is headed. When it hits the cars, it'll blow. I'd say we've got 10 minutes tops", Rose argued. 

"Nobody asked you, Ruvelle. Remember your rank on this team", the chief's voice took on an angry tone. 

"Fine. I'll do it myself", Rose shouted as she ran to the truck and grabbed her oxygen/utility belt, swinging it over her shoulder and running towards the burning mansion. 

"Ruvelle, get your ass back here right now", the chief shouted after her. 

"What do we do, chief?", Colin asked.

"We do the search like I planned", said the chief as he ran his fingers through his hair.

* * *

Rose pulled on the handle of the front door, but it was locked. 

"Fuck", she muttered under her breath. She took a step back and threw a powerful kick at it, but nothing happened. Rose huffed and grabbed the ax that was in her utility belt, currently slung across her back. With one strong swing, she cracked a hole in the door. After a couple more swings, she had made a hole large enough for herself to squeeze through. Before entering the smoke filled home, she quickly set a 10 minute timer on her watch. 10 minutes was the amount of time that she was assuming she had before the cars would catch flame. Then, without a second thought, she climbed through the door and ran down the large hallway.

The mansion was large and it's hallways were like a maze. Rose took the hallways that were headed in the direction of the car display. She played tag with the surrounding flames as they chased her throughout the house. She jumped over burning beams and ducked under falling ceiling tiles, flames jumping out at her left and right like a pack of wild, ravenous wolves. 

Rose stopped when her path was blocked by a mountain of burning wood. The ceiling above had collapsed and the fable remains were piled in a heap in front of her. Rose took a moment to consider her options; she could jump through the small opening on the left that was ridden with wild flames or she could lift the heavy beam that blocked her passage on the right, also creating an escape route for after she found the woman. She pulled up her sleeve to look at her watch. 

"Damn it, 7 minutes", she panicked and quickly put her glove back on. There was no time to move the heavy beam, so she took a deep breath and jumped through the flames. She would just have to find another way out when the time came.

"Luisa!", Rose called. She knew she must be getting close now. She dodged the flames down another hallway, through a home theater and a home gym, but stopped when she came to 4 closed doors at the end of the hall. 

"Luisa!" she called as she looked between the 4 doors, choosing the right-most door first. She opened it and out jumped a pack of hungry flames, making her stumble backwards to the ground in an attempt to avoid them. 

"Luisa! I'm here to help you", she shouted into the flames. There was no response, so she opened the next door. Behind it was the glass show room, filled with the most beautiful cars she had ever seen! However, more than half the room was filled with flames and the angry orange wisps were creeping dangerously close to the black Maserati in the corner.

"I have less time than I thought", she muttered angrily to herself. She was getting desperate and she was running out of time. Rose kicked the next door opened to find a burning pool table and a bar. 

"Great. Alcohol. That's just what this fire needs, more explosive materials", Rose sighed as she body checked the last door open. Luisa had to be in here, there was no other option as it was the last door in the hall. 

Behind the door was a beautiful library, filed with shelves that reached 4 times Rose's height and were filled to the brim with books.

She was suddenly thrown to the ground as she was hit with flaming books that had tumbled off of the burning shelves that hung over the door frame. Rose picked herself up and ran further into the room. 

"Luisa!", she called as she looked around. More burning books began falling off of the shelves around her. 

"Where are you?", she muttered to herself, when suddenly her eyes went wide. 

"Shit", she cursed as she ran towards an unconscious woman lying on the floor of the burning library.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure this is the fastest update I've ever done! I'm amazed with myself. 
> 
> Also, I didn't feel like proof reading it so late at night, so I'll do it tomorrow. Sorry for the mistakes!!

"Hey! Are you alright?", Rose called as she tapped the woman on the back, hoping she was sleeping. When the woman didn't respond, Rose gently turned her over onto her back and checked her for any signs of breathing. She wasn't breathing. Rose lifted the limp body into her arms and headed for the exit.

Suddenly a large cluster of burning books fell from the shelves hanging above the door, making a small pile that blocked part of their exit. Rose paused a moment, then took off her oxygen mask and helmet, placing it onto the unconscious woman. This way, the woman would be protected if she made a wrong decision. Rose brushed away a couple loose locks of her red hair that were clinging to the layer of sweat on her face.

"Okay", she huffed as she took a few steps back, getting ready to jump over the flaming pile of books.

"1, 2, 3!", she counted out loud (talking to herself always seemed to help calm her nerves). Rose ran and jumped, holding the woman close as she cleared the door. She stopped when she noticed that the flames at the end of the hall were challenging her, throwing sparks and wisps closer and closer until she had no choice but to go back into the library.

Rose once again jumped over the flaming pile of books. Not seconds after she cleared the door frame, the burning shelves that hung above it came toppling down, blocking the opening completely.

"Hang on, okay? I'll have to find another way to get us out", she told the unconscious woman, but really the comment was more to reassure herself.

Rose coughed as the smoke was beginning to effect her lungs. She looked around the burning room for another solution. The details of the room were hard to see as the thick black smoke was filling more and more of the library from top to bottom as it grew. Luckily, Rose noticed an area diagonally above her where the thick smoke was a lighter shade of grey than the rest, meaning there was light over there, hopefully a window.

"There!", she shouted as she ran for the winding stair case in the corner. It lead to a balcony that contained more book shelves, a couch, a coffee machine and a small wall of windows. She figured if she broke through the glass, she could repel down the side of the house.

The stairs creaked the higher she climbed. Once she reached the balcony, she placed the woman's body down on the couch and took off her oxygen and utility belt, leaving them with her. The smoke was screening over her eyes, irritating them to the point where she had to stop and rub them as they teared. It was also compromising her breathing. Smoke is thicker than air, making it harder to pass through the lungs and be absorbed into the blood stream. So Rose was constantly coughing and rubbing her eyes.

"This is gonna work", she confirmed as she looked out the window. "It's a little high, but it'll work".

Rose took a few steps back from the window to ready herself. She then used all her force to punch the glass, making only a small crack. She threw a couple more until the glass shattered. She took a few deep breaths of fresh air from outside the window before continuing the rescue. She had to hurry, the woman wasn't breathing, meaning time was of the essence, but it wouldn't do either of them any good if she passed out before they got out of the burning building.

There was a rope on her utility belt, which she tied to the railing of the balcony, then threw the rest of it out the window. Her helmet and oxygen mask were taken off of the woman and thrown to the ground. She lifted the woman off of the couch, holding her in a front-ways 'piggy back' position. To eliminate the risk of the woman falling, Rose took off her belt and fastened it around both of them, pressing their bodies tightly together.

"Alright, here we go", Rose took a deep breath. She grabbed the rope, running it behind her back and anchoring it with her arms. Leaning backwards out of the window, she placed her feet on the side of the mansion and let the tension in the rope hold her back up. The woman was laying face down against Rose's body as she quickly but carefully lowered them down to the ground. Once they were safely out of the house, Rose laid the woman down on the grass.

Rose had earlier switched off her radio to ignore chief James' voice, but now she switched it back on. "This is Ruvelle, I've got her and we're clear! She's not breathing and needs an ambulance ASAP! I'm on the north side of the building", she informed.

"Way to go, Ruvelle! Ambulance has been called. I'll be there right away" Colin's voice called back. Rose coughed a few times, then gently brushed the brown hair from the woman's face.

The first step in every emergency was to check the person's vitals. The woman still wasn't breathing, but she did have a pulse, so Rose leaned down and began rescue breathing. Plugging the woman's nose, she gave 2 breaths. As she continued this, she really looked at the woman's features. She had beautiful brown hair, perfectly tanned skin and beautiful lips (which she also found to be extremely soft). Ash and sweat covered most of the woman's face and her hair clung to her forehead. Rose imagined herself looking the same way, as she too was covered in ash and sweat, and wearing her heavy fire jacket in the Miami heat certainly didn't help the matter.

"Hey, the ambulance is here", Colin called out as he approached them. Rose looked up at him, she was about to say something when suddenly the unconscious woman began coughing.

"Thank god", Rose sighed. The woman opened her eyes and looked up at Rose.

"Hi", Rose smiled, looking into the woman's warm brown eyes.

"Wh- where- what happened?", the woman stammered. Rose could see she was a little frightened.

"It's alright, you're safe", Rose reassured her.

"Wh-who are you?"

"My name is Rose Ruvelle. And you are?"

"Luisa. Luisa Alver"

"I'm glad you're okay, Luisa", Rose smiled. Luisa turned her head to see her beautiful house in flames.

"O- Oh my god! No!", she screamed as tears began welling in her eyes. "Now I remember!", she cried. Small droplets made their way down her cheeks as she reminisced the events leading up to her passing out.

Suddenly there was a loud bang as the fire had finally engulfed some of the cars, burning their gas tanks. Rose dove on top of Luisa to shield her from the blast and Colin ducked for cover a few meters away. Bits of flaming materials landed in the grass around them, thankfully nothing hit them. A second loud bang echoed through the air as another 2 cars blew. Luisa screamed beneath Rose.

Rose met the brunette's eyes. "You're okay. I've got you", Rose whispered. "I promise, okay?". Luisa silently nodded and held Rose's gaze. Their faces were not more than an inch apart, Rose still shielding her from the flaming debris that was raining down around them.

A third and final explosion sounded when the flames reached the alcohol at the bar neighboring the show room. The sound of chunks of debris hitting the ground near and far slowed until it came to a halt. After a moment of silence, Rose lifted herself off of Luisa. She couldn't take the heat of the Miami sun in her thick fire jacket any longer. She was fairly certain she was drenched in sweat underneath the black canvas. So finally, her heavy jacket was removed, leaving her in her sweaty, dark blue t-shirt with her red suspenders wrapped over top. She then looked at Luisa, who she noticed had sat up and was watching her.

"Are you alright?", Rose asked, her voice calm and soothing.

"Yeah, I"m alright", Luisa's voice wavered.

"Can you walk?", Rose asked as she stood up.

"I think so", she replied. Rose held out her hand anyways, offering to help the beautiful woman up. Luisa grabbed her hands and Rose pulled her up with more force than she'd meant to. Luisa was lighter than expected and was pulled right up against the firefighter.

"Sorry", Rose's apology was barely more than a whisper as she was mesmerized by the woman standing before her. As they stood in silence, Rose noticed that Luisa was shorter than her, the brunette's head fitting almost beneath her chin. The longer they held each other's gaze, the more the atmosphere around them changed. To Rose, it seemed as though the surrounding air was thinning, because it was getting harder and harder for her to catch a good breath. Rose studied the brown eyes in front of her; they were dark brown around the edges, but faded to a caramel colour in the center. The eyes also displayed such curiosity, excitement and wonder in them that she couldn't help but admire. _'These are the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen'_ , she thought to herself. Rose could feel herself getting light headed, but she decided it was probably from breathing in so much smoke. Luckily, her eyes were no longer bugging her, she could see clearly again.

Rose smiled when she felt a gentle squeeze of her biceps, realizing that that's where Luisa's hands had ended up. Rose then suddenly became aware of where her own hands had ended up; one on Luisa's upper back and the other on Luisa's lower back.

"Sorry. Again", Rose quickly and awkwardly let go, taking a step back and shaking the fog from her head.

"It's okay", Luisa smiled as she took a step forward to eliminate the space that Rose had created between the two of them. Both women suddenly turned their heads towards the growing thumping noises of the stampeding medical and firefighter personnel that were running towards them. Rose coughed into her arm a couple times.

"Ruvelle, I will deal with you later. That was totally inappropriate what you did and you will accept the consequences when you get back from the hospital", chief James yelled at her. Rose coughed again.

"I knew how to get her out", Rose motioned to Luisa, "but you wouldn't listen! There was no time to do a full search! She would've died in the explosions!", Rose argued.

"That's not up to you to decide", the chief's voice was gaining more volume.

"It _shouldn't matter_ when someone's life is on the line", Rose fired back, the rising volume putting strain on her throat, making her cough more.

"That's it. You're being suspended when you get back from the hospital", chief James crossed his arms in victory.

"Come on chief, that's not fair. She did her job", Nick piped in.

"Nobody asked you", chief James turned to Nick. Rose coughed a couple more times into her arm.

One of the paramedics interrupted the argument, "We're going to need to take both of you ladies to the hospital. You've both inhaled a lot of smoke and we'll need to test the oxygen levels in your blood and make sure that your lungs aren't damaged".

"I'm fi-", Rose began, but was interrupted by the chief.

"Just go Ruvelle! Don't forget to get her information and you can go home after they've cleared you", chief James spat out before Rose could say another word.

The argument ended when the paramedic motioned for Rose and Luisa to follow him over to the ambulance. They were told to hop into the back and sit on the bed. Once they were settled, the ambulance began moving. Rose looked out the back windows, watching the mansion slowly fade away. She coughed a couple times into her arm as one of the paramedics turned to them.

"We're going to give you each an oxygen mask to help you breathe easier and to help flush out the smoke from your lungs", the paramedic informed them as she placed masks on both women one at a time. Rose turned to look at Luisa, who was staring at the metal wall in front of her. Her eyes looked empty and she was trembling ever so slightly, both of these were symptoms of shock. Both paramedics were busy writing things down and trying to hook up their masks to the oxygen tanks. Rose took advantage of the moment and tangled her fingers with Luisa's, squeezing the brunettes hand gently to offer her some support. Luisa jumped slightly at the unexpected contact, she looked down at the intertwined fingers between them, then looked up at Rose.

"Everything is going to be alright", Rose whispered. Luisa's blank facial expression didn't change. Rose squeezed her hand again, but this time Luisa squeezed back.

"Okay", Luisa whispered, nodding her head slightly. Rose pulled her hand away from Luisa's when one of the paramedics sat down in front of them with a clip board.

"Ms. Alver, would you mind telling me what happened before you passed out?", she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Um. Well, I was going through some legal documents in the study when I fell asleep. I haven't been sleeping well the past couple days and I guess it finally caught up with me. I woke up coughing. The room was filled with thick smoke and I couldn't really see. I stood up but I felt like I couldn't breathe. I went light headed and next thing I knew, I woke up to Rose leaning over me", Luisa spoke slowly, her voice quiet. The brunette looked up at Rose with a slight smile on her face.

"And Ms. Ruvelle. Care to tell me what happened?"

"I arrived with my unit, then went in to find her", Rose turned to look at Luisa as she spoke. "I had a vague idea of where she was, so I ran through the house in that direction. When I found her, she was unconscious and wasn't breathing. I put my helmet and mask on her, then picked her up and jumped some burning debris to get through the door. I was forced back into the library though, because the way I came was blocked. I didn't think I would be able to find a way out until I noticed a window on the second floor. I broke the glass, strapped her to me then repelled us out the window and down the side of the house. I put her down a safe distance from the fire and checked her vitals. She still wasn't breathing, but she did have a pulse. I had done about 4 cycles of rescue breathing when she started coughing and woke up", Rose finished, still looking at Luisa.

"Did you use a mask for the rescue breathing?", the paramedic asked.

"No, I did not", Rose frowned, blushing slightly.

"Okay, thank you both. That's all I needed to know", she nodded and began writing things down.

The ambulance slowed down in front of the hospital. Two doctors assisted them to a room where each had to have a sample of blood taken and an pulse oximeter placed on one of their fingers.

"We're going to keep you for a couple hours, is that alright? We need to wait until the oxygen levels in your blood return to normal before letting you go", their doctor asketd.

"I guess so", Rose shrugged. The doctor nodded and left the room. Rose looked over at Luisa, who still hadn't said a whole lot since they'd met.

"Are you alright?", Rose asked as she got up from the bed and walked a couple steps over to Luisa's.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just in shock, I guess", her voice was quiet.

"That's totally normal", Rose smiled.

"I know. I just can't stop thinking about it"

"Well, maybe I can take your mind off it for a while", Rose was still smiling. Luisa looked up at her, holding her gaze. Rose gasped quietly and her stomach began to flutter, Luisa's eyes were truly the most beautiful she had ever seen.

"Yeah? How", Luisa smirked, her voice gaining a more normal volume.

"We could play a game?", Rose suggested. They had a lot of time to kill and a game was a great way to pass it.

"Deal", Luisa smiled. Rose nodded. She got as close to the door of their room as the cord of her pulse oximeter would allow and waited for a passing nurse.

"Excuse me, ma'am?", Rose called when she finally saw one. The small, old lady in a nurses lab coat waddled over to their room.

"Yes? Can I help you?", the small woman asked.

"Do you guys have any games?"

"Games?", the old lady scrunched her eyebrows together, obviously not understanding.

"Yeah, like board games? Cards? Anything like that?"

"Oh", the woman raised her finger, 'Yes, we definitely have cards. I'll grab you some. Be right back". The woman waddled down the hall and around the corner.

"What game are we playing?", Luisa called from her bed.

"Cards"

"Alright, but I'm warning you, I'm the best at cards. No matter what game it is, I always win", Luisa raised her head proudly.

"We'll just have to see about that", Rose challenged. Rose knew she was the master at cards, but Luisa didn't need to know that just yet.

"I'll be nice and let you choose the game", Luisa teased.

"Poker", Rose smiled.

"Alright. What are betting?", Luisa asked. Rose fell silent for a moment as she thought.

"How about a coffee? The loser has to buy the winner how ever many coffees were placed in the bet", Luisa suggested, a flirty smile creeping up her cheeks.

"Done", Rose responded a little louder and faster than she had meant to, making Luisa giggle.

* * *

 

"I'll see your 5 coffees and raise you 2", Rose's eyes narrowed as she tried to get a read on Luisa's face.

"Alright, show me your cards", Luisa raised her eyebrow and tilted her head in the most sassy way possible.

"Well, you'd better get your wallet out, because I could use a coffee right about now", Rose said a little too pridefully as she threw her cards down on Luisa's blanket covered legs. Luisa took one look at Rose's cards and exploded with the cutest laugh that Rose had ever heard and the redhead couldn't help but smile.

"Damn it, I guess that means you won!", Rose chuckled. Luisa grinned as she flipped her cards down one by one, gloating as much as possible as she did so. A full house.

"You owe me 7 cups of coffee, firefighter", Luisa said extra loud to rub it in. "But not all at once obviously", Luisa added.

"Oh, are you sure?", Rose laughed. Luisa smiled and looked around the small hospital room, searching.

"Aha!", she exclaimed as she grabbed a blue pen out of a drawer in the nightstand. "Come here", she curled her finger in an enticing manner, motioning for Rose to come closer. Rose obeyed without a second thought. It didn't take much effort to approach the brunette because it was almost like the woman had her own personal gravitational pull. Rose just seemed to be naturally drawn to this woman.

"Here", Luisa muttered. She stuck her tongue out in concentration as she wrote a series of numbers on Rose's hand. She smiled up at the red head after she finished. "So you can buy me those coffees", she explained.

Just then, two nurses came in and cleared them both for discharge. Both women thanked the nurses and walked out into the hallway together. The two began walking in opposite directions, but after a few steps, Rose turned around. She watched Luisa walk for a moment before shouting down the hall after her.

"Have a good evening, Luisa! I'd better not get called over for anymore fires!", Rose joked.

"Text me, firefighter" Luisa winked as she turned and kept waking. Rose watched until Luisa shrunk and disappeared into the distance. A smile slowly formed on Rose's face as she finally turned around and walked out of the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me comments :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose is developing feelings for Luisa. So she breaks the rules again, giving Luisa a forbidden tour of the firehouse. If they get caught, there could be trouble!

Rose walked into the firehouse through the open garage doors. Three large fire trucks stood side by side, looking out the open doors in front of them, waiting to screech down the roads as fast as they could. Maintenance cleaned the fire trucks every evening, inside and out till they sparkled. Rose liked the way their red paint glistened in the morning light that seeped into the musty smelling garage. She would often come and sit out here with the trucks to breathe in the fresh air and get lost in her thoughts. It was a quiet place in the early mornings and just before sunset. If ever she needed a break from all the testosterone and the rowdiness of her colleagues, this is where she came to do so. 

Rose kicked a stone as she walked, smiling as it bounced off of a rubber tire and landed back in front of her. The evening off that she'd had yesterday (after she was discharged from the hospital) was a nice break after the busy day that she'd had. She was able to relax and recharge instead of sleeping in a bunk. The firehouse was equipped with a couple rooms full of bunks because a firefighter's shift is a little different from any other sort of work shift. They worked for 4 days straight (meaning they lived at the firehouse for 96 hours), then had 4 days off and so the cycle continued. 

Rose walked into the building and over to the change room with a smile on her face. Her heavy bag was placed in her locker and her tin lunch box was taken to the kitchen and put in the fridge. 

"Ruvelle", one of the boys called. 

"What's up?", Rose turned around to see Nick and Carter eating bowls of cheerios at one of the tables. 

"Chief wants you", Carter frowned. Rose sighed as she headed for the door.

"You did a good job yesterday, by the way. You've got balls, Ruvelle", Nick added before he turned back to his bowl of cheerios. Rose could tell by the tone of his voice that Nick had meant what he'd said. She smiled at him, then headed for chief James' office. 

"James?", she asked as she poked her head in the door of his office. He was sitting at his desk, looking at a rather large stack of papers.

" _Chief_ James", he corrected her without looking up from his paper. 

"Right, I always forget, I'm sorry"

"I need you to sign this", he finally looked up at her as he slid a paper across his desk. He placed a pen on top. 

Rose raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?". She looked back down at the paper. Chief James had written her up for what had happened yesterday. "Disobeying orders, resulting in a panic?", her voice gaining volume. 

"Yes, really. After you ran off, the others wouldn't listen to orders and were arguing with me. You rallied 'em up", his voice was stern.

"That's because they all agreed with me!", Rose pointed out as she tossed the paper back on his desk.

"Sign it or get out", chief James crossed his arms. Rose was ready to explode. 

"We've been friends since middle school, why are you ragging on me all of a sudden?", Rose asked. "We lost track of each other after graduation, but we were still friends. What happened between grad and now that has made you hate me so much?", Rose prodded for an answer. 

"You don't follow orders", the Chief bit out. 

"No, that's not it. It has to be something else", Rose shook her head.

"Sign the paper or you can pack your things and leave", chief James repeated as she slid the paper closer to Rose. 

"Fine", she grumbled as she picked up a pen and signed her name. 

"This stays on your file for 2 years. 3 infractions and you'll be let go", his voice was monotone as he recited the mandatory speech that accompanied each write up. 

Rose turned and walked out of his office. She was fuming and needed to blow off some steam, so she headed out to the garage for some air. 

She fiery redhead pulled out a folding chair from a shelf on the concrete wall of the garage. It was set down in its usual spot. Rose looked at it for a moment, then sat down with a bag of sunflower seeds. She threw a couple in her mouth at a time, then spit the empty shells into a metal trash bin that she had pulled over next to her. Quiet always did her good, and soon enough she got lost in her thoughts. The longer she sat, the calmer she felt. 

"Hey, firefighter", a familiar voice pulled her back to the present. Apparently, Rose had been sitting there for longer than she had thought.

"Hi", Rose smiled up at the shorter brunette woman. She put her bag of seeds down before getting up out of her chair, "What are you doing here?". She hadn't even seen Luisa walk up to the firehouse because she had been so drowned in her mind.

"I came to see you", Luisa grinned playfully. The comment sent heat racing through Rose's body and up into her cheeks, flushing them a light pink. 

"Yeah?", Rose smiled sheepishly. 

"To give you this", Luisa smiled as she pulled out a small container from her purse. She handed it to Rose, who raised an eyebrow in confusion. "It's for what you did yesterday. I can't ever repay you for saving my life, but this is a start". Rose smiled and opened the box to find 6 beautifully decorated cupcakes inside. 

"Thanks! Did you make these?", Rose's smile had grown comically large and toothy. 

"Yup! I made them last night", Luisa nodded. Rose put the lid back on the container and placed it down into her lawn chair. 

"I can't wait to try them!", she paused for a moment before continuing, "where are you staying now?".

"My dad owns a hotel not far from here and my brother and I had always lived there. I mean, until a couple years ago when I finally decided to move out. So for now I'm back in my old room", Luisa's voice took on an empty tone.

"I take it you don't like it there?", Rose frowned.

Luisa shook her head, "My family has a lot going on right now and I just don't like to be around all the drama".

"Well, if you don't want to go back just yet, can I interest you in a tour of the firehouse?", Rose suggested, not wanting Luisa to leave. 

"Really?", Luisa's eyes lit up. 

"Well, not a real one. I mean, you're not really allowed inside, so we'll have to be careful not get caught", Rose admitted. 

"I don't want to get you in trouble, though", Luisa frowned.

"No no, you won't. Come on, it'll be fun!", Rose urged. She grabbed the container of cupcakes in one hand and Luisa's wrist in the other, pulling her further into the garage. "You can just leave your purse here", Rose motioned to her locker full of fire gear. Luisa hung it on one of the hooks, then followed Rose to the door. Rose poked her head inside, checking to see if any of her coworkers were in sight. 

"Is the coast clear?", Luisa whispered as she playfully poked Rose in the ribs. Rose yelped and jumped slightly at the unexpected contact. Luisa laughed. 

"Don't do that! You'll blow our cover", Rose joked. She couldn't help but smile every time the brunette did, the woman's cheery demeanor was infectious and her smile warmed Rose's heart. 

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry", Luisa was trying hard not to laugh. She ran her fingers along her closed lips, pretending to zip them shut.

Rose took another look in the door. After deeming their path clear, she grabbed Luisa's hand and pulled her inside the building. They headed through the entrance room and into a hallway.

"Where are you taking me first?", Luisa whispered. 

"To my room", Rose replied without turning to look at Luisa. A silence fell upon them and Rose blushed when she realized that what she'd said could be perceived a little differently than what she had meant. "To put the cupcakes away", she quickly clarified. 

"Oh". Rose could've sworn she'd heard disappointment in Luisa's voice, but she didn't dwell on it, she had probably been mistaken anyways. 

"It upstairs", Rose whispered as they stopped in front of a curved staircase. Rose climbed the first couple steps to peer around the corner. She then nodded to Luisa, who tip toed up the stairs after her.

Once they arrived to the second floor, Rose grabbed Luisa's hand and lead her down a narrow and gloomy hallway. The walls were made of red brick, just like the outside of the firehall. It was an old building, the bricks were chipped in some places and the wind whistled through the windows. 

Rose opened a dark brown door at the end of the hallway and pulled Luisa inside. She turned on the lights as soon as the door was closed. 

"This is your room?", Luisa raised an eyebrow at the sad little space. There were 4 sets of bunk beds, each with a little storage unit next to it. There was a window on the far wall, but the dingy drapes forbade the light from entering through the glass. 

"Yeah. Our unit sleeps in here. We work for four days, then we go home for four days, so we need a place to sleep", Rose looked around the room. "It's not much, but it works", she shrugged. 

"Which one is your bed?", Luisa smiled. 

"This one", Rose pointed to her bed in the corner. 

"And who sleeps on top?", Luisa walked over to the bunk beds. 

"No one. There's an odd number of us, so one person would get to have a bunk set to themselves", Rose explained.

"And they let you have it?", Luisa sat down on Rose's bed and ran her hand along the sheets. Rose's mouth went dry as she watched the beautiful woman. 

"No. We gambled for it. I won", Rose smiled proudly. Luisa laughed. 

"Just like you won the coffees?", the brunette teased. 

"Shut up", Rose laughed and shook her head. Luisa noticed some paper and a pen on Rose's night stand. 

"For my workouts. I like to keep track", Rose explained. Luisa picked up the papers and read the first line on the first page. 

"150 push ups?", Luisa raised an eyebrow. "Impressive", she smirked. Rose's cheeks once again gained a little colour. 

"Um, thanks", the redhead awkwardly leaned up against the bed post. "Anyways, do you want to see the rest of the firehouse?". Rose put the container of cupcakes down on the floor and slid it under her bed. "If the boys see them, I won't get to have any", she explained as she headed for the door. "Are you coming?", she asked when she noticed that Luisa wasn't behind her. 

"Yeah", Luisa got up and joined Rose. The firefighter smiled and opened the door. 

The two walked quietly down the hall and back to the staircase, but instead of going back downstairs, they turned down a second hallway. At the end was a gym. 

"This is where you work out?", Luisa asked as she looked around the room. 

"Yeah, we do our weight training and fitness tests in here", she said before grabbing Luisa's hand and leading her to a corner that had a hole in the floor. 

"Is this what I think it is?", Luisa grinned.

"Yep", Rose laughed as she put both her hands onto the cold, metal fire pole. "Used in emergencies  _and_ for fun". A quick look through the hole in the floor told them that the coast was clear. "You wanna try it?"

"Is that even a question?", Luisa joked. 

"I'll go down first", Rose said as she hopped onto the pole and disappeared through the hole in the floor. Rose waited for Luisa to appear. "Are you coming?", she called up in a whisper. 

"Yeah", Luisa replied. "I'm a little nervous though", she admitted. 

"I'm right here", the red head reassured. 

"What if I fall?"

"I'll catch you"

"Fine, fine", Luisa whispered, and soon after, she appeared through the hole in the ceiling. She slid all the way to the bottom and smiled when she let go. 

"See? You didn't need me", the firefighter smiled as she grabbed the smaller woman's hand and lead her towards the equipment room. "This is where we keep all the extra supplies", Rose said as she picked up a boat paddle. 

"Why do you need an oar?", Luisa laughed. 

"For water rescues", Rose smiled as she pretended to paddle with it. 

"Right. Of course", Luisa shook her head. She looked around the room and spotting some fire gear, she went over and picked it up. She put on the heavy canvas jacket and the bright yellow helmet on top. Rose watched as the brunette struck a pose in the oversized fire gear, then laughed. The fire jacket covered her shorts completely, leaving only her beautifully tanned legs visible. 

"I look like I'm not wearing any pants", Luisa laughed.

"It's way too big for you", Rose smiled. Luisa took off the gear and continued looking around at all the other rescue supplies that were in the room.  

Just then, Rose head footsteps coming down the hall. She quickly grabbed Luisa's hand and pulled her towards a small closet in the back of the room. 

"Chief asked me to replace the oxygen tanks and wind up a new hose for the truck", a voice echoed from outside the equipment room. Rose guessed it was Colin's voice. 

"I'd rather do that! I was asked to piece together another ladder. It's in a box in the equipment room", a second voice said. This was obviously Carter's voice, or so Rose thought. 

Rose and Luisa quickly entered the closet and shut the door behind them. It was a wooden door with two vents, one near the bottom and the other near the top. Luckily, Rose was just tall enough to be able to see through the top vent. The closet was small and dark. There wasn't much room for either woman to move, so they were pressed together between the cold walls. Luisa looked up at Rose, she was watching the men through the vent who had just come into the equipment room. The smaller woman shifted slightly, moving against Rose's skin, causing the redhead to look down at her. 

"You ok?", Rose asked. 

"Yeah, your hip was just digging into mine a bit", Luisa whispered. Rose suddenly became aware of how small the closet really was and how closely the two woman were pressed together. Luckily the room was dark, so Luisa couldn't see how much Rose was blushing. 

"I'm sorry", Rose whispered as she shifted her body and in the process, accidentally brushed her hand over Luisa's bare thigh. Rose held back a sigh, the woman's legs were really soft. 

"It's alright", Luisa's voice became smooth. The brunette reached up and tucked a stray red curl behind Rose's ear. Luisa then placed her hands on Rose's shoulders. The temperature of their tiny closet space was slowly rising and Rose could feel it. The closeness and the stuffy air certainly didn't help.

"This is going to take forever, look how many screws there are", Carter complained from in the equipment room. 

"We might be in here for a while", Rose smiled sheepishly. 

"I don't mind", Luisa admitted with a smile. The change in the brunette's voice drove Rose wild. It had gone from a whisper to a raspy husk. Rose awkwardly shifted her body a little bit and accidentally brushed Luisa's breast with her arm. 

"Geez. I'm sorry", Rose apologized. 

"Are you uncomfortable?", Luisa teased as she leaned in a little closer to Rose. 

"No". Rose's heart beat sped up. A bead of sweat rolled down Rose's forehead. Luisa smiled at Rose's answer and held her gaze. 

Rose completely forgot that her coworkers were on the other side of the door, she was too absorbed in the woman infront of her. She studied the smaller woman's face, every bone, every mark and every expression. Luisa truly was the  most beautiful woman Rose had ever seen and here she was, pressed against her in a closet. The tension between them became louder and louder with each passing second. Rose wanted so badly to kiss the brunette. She could feel Luisa's rib cage expanding with each breath and each puff of hot air that was exhaled onto Rose's neck, sent shivers down her spine. 

Luisa looked down at her hands that were still on Rose's shoulders. She moved them gently, closer to Rose's neck, softly running her thumbs over Rose's collar bones. 

Rose shuddered under the gentle touch that left sparks sailing under her skin. Without thinking, she put her hands on Luisa's bare thighs, feeling the incredibly soft skin under her fingers. Her hands slowly ran up the sides of Luisa's body, over her shorts and stopping on her hips. Rose hadn't meant to do anything, but her hands seemed to think otherwise. Rose looked down at Luisa, certain that she had gone too far, but the brunette didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, Luisa moved her hands up behind Rose's neck in response. 

"This was easier than I thought it would be. Hand me the last couple bolts!", Carter's voice ordered.

"Hurry up, I'm starving! We still have to do the oxygen tanks and the hose", Colin whined.

Neither women were paying attention to the boys in the equipment room. The tension, along with the heat, had risen to new heights. Rose's heart was pounding hard enough that she was sure that Luisa could feel it. The red head had never wanted a woman more than she wanted Luisa at this very moment. Rose found Luisa's gaze and held it. 

Suddenly, a noise in the other room startled the women. It was the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. Rose looked out the vent to see what was happening. 

"We finished it!", Carter cheered. 

"Alright!! Let's get it out of here so that we can get the oxygen tanks", Colin suggested. 

Rose looked at Luisa, "We have to get out of here before they come back", she whispered. Luisa nodded as a couple more beads of sweat rolled down both of their faces. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Comments are encouraged!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the long wait. I lost the will to write for a while.  
> This chapter wouldn't have happened without Jess, she's been trying to get us both writing again and it worked. So THANK YOU JESS.  
> FYI: I haven't proof read this and I don't feel like doing it right now, so apologies for mistakes.

As soon as the firemen left the equipment room, Rose opened the door of the closet. She let out a sigh of relief as the hot air left the tiny space and cold air rushed in, whispering over her skin. Luisa stepped out of the closet and Rose followed closely behind, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. She turned to look at Luisa, who was smiling up at her, her skin glistening in the light that shone in from the window. 

Both women jumped at the sudden ringing of an alarm. The high pitched noise rang throughout the firehouse, bouncing off the brick walls and filling ever corner of the building. 

"Unit 14 to the loading dock. Car collision, search and rescue. Unit 14 to the loading dock. Car collision, search and rescue", a monotone voice sounded over the ringing alarm. 

"Is that you?", Luisa asked.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, I have to go. I'm going to sneak you out the back door, alright?", Rose said as she grabbed Luisa's hand and began leading her out of the equipment room. 

"But what about my purse?", Luisa raised her eyebrows. 

"Shit", Rose cursed under her breath. She didn't have time to run to get Luisa's purse, she needed to be in her canvas gear and in the fire engine as soon as possible. 

"That's alright, I have my phone and important cards on me anyways. It's just some make up and papers in there, so I don't need it. You can give it back to me tomorrow when you take me for coffee", Luisa grinned. Rose paused for a moment, looking down at the shorter woman. Her heart beat sped up at the notion. She wanted nothing more than to take the intriguing brunette on a date.

"You're off work tomorrow, right?", Luisa asked, breaking Rose's stunned silence.

"Sounds good", Rose finally said with a smile. She then continued leading Luisa to the back door. Luckily their path was clear and they didn't have to dodge any unwanted eyes. Once they reached the back door, they quickly said their goodbye's and parted ways.

Rose ran as fast as she could to the garage and threw on her fire gear. She was surprised to find out that she wasn't the last one in the vehicle, they were still waiting on Carter before they could leave. 

"Where is he?", chief James shouted. Suddenly, Carter rushed into the garage and threw his gear on. "Alright team, let's go", he shouted as the truck pulled out of the garage. 

Rose looked out the window as they left the driveway. She smiled as she saw a familiar face walking down the sidewalk. Luisa waved at her.

"Who's that?" a voice asked from behind the red head, making her jump. She turned around to see Colin looking over her shoulder out the window, he then looked at her and raised his eyebrows a couple times. Rose laughed. 

"No one", Rose shook her head. 

"Didn't look like no one to me", Colin prodded for an answer. 

"She's just a girl I met", Rose tried to brush it off. There was a moment of silence before a look washed over Colin's face.

"Wait, was that who I think it was?", his eyes widened. 

"Alright team, it looks like we've got a multiple car pile up on a bridge. We need to get in there, extract the victims, then deal with any hazards. Got it?", the chief called over his shoulder.

"You're telling me about this later", Colin whispered. Rose sighed, for once she was thankful for Chief James' yelling. It got her out of telling Colin about Luisa just yet. Not that there was much to tell, but Rose preferred to keep what ever it was, to herself. 

The firetruck came to a halt and the team of adrenaline pumped professionals, wrapped in their canvas uniforms, hopped out of the back. Rose stopped for a moment to take in the scene, extracting all the vital details she saw and locking them into her mind.

There were a handful of cars dispersed in aggregates across the bridge on which their emergency vehicle was parked. Rose shuddered as her eyes ran along the several car hoods that were smashed in and the dented doors that littered the scene. There were two vehicles in the back that were caught in a blaze of fire that had emerged from gas tanks. 

"Simon and Colin, fire duty. The rest of you, fan out, search and rescue from front to back", Rose heard the Chief's voice above the shock ringing in her ears.

The team sprung into action before the last words had even left Jame's mouth. The redheaded firefighter ran back to the firetruck and grabbed a clipboard with paper to begin writing down the victim's names. 

"Ruvelle! What are you doing?", Chief James yelled. "Start grabbing victims! Get going or I'll write you up again!"

"Really?", Rose asked, confused. This was the first time that she had been asked to do anything other than write things down or make phone calls. 

"Jesus, Ruvelle! Are you not listening? Get going!", James' voice was littered with annoyance. 

"Yes, sir!", Rose responded. As she turned towards the mess of smashed glass and vehicles, her eyes lit up and a smile found it's way to her face. Maybe her angry outburst in his office the other day had gotten to him. 

The first vehicle she tended to was green in colour. It was flipped on it's side and the rear door was smashed in. It had been hit on its side by another vehicle, tipping it over.

Rose could see a woman inside who was still strapped in by her seat belt. Her body was limp and there was a slow flowing stream of blood dripping down her forehead. 

"Crap", Rose muttered to herself as she reached for the small ax strapped to her pack. With a powerful swing, she shattered the windshield. Her ax tumbled onto the pavement next to her as she searched her pack for a pocket knife.

Reaching through the broken windshield, she held onto the woman tightly as she cut through her seat belt with the knife. All at once, the last few fibers broke and the woman's weight fell onto Rose, knocking her backwards onto the pavement. 

Rose's head rattled inside it's helmet as the protective plastic collided with the hard ground. She cursed in pain as she looked at the unconscious body pinning her down. The woman was easily rolled off and set gently on the ground. 

"I need paramedics here", Rose called as she looked down at the blood stains left on her uniform from the victim's injury. Two women in navy blue uniforms jogged towards her and took over the situation. 

"Next", Rose said to herself with a grin as she trotted off to the next car. Her skin was crawling with excitement and her eyes were ablaze with a wild passion and confidence. This is what she lived for. 

* * *

 "So, what are we betting today, boys?", Finley asked as he began dealing out the cards, looking around the circle as he did so. 

"Paperwork", one of the boys shouted.

"Deal", shouted another. They asked around the circle to make sure everyone was in accordance with the stakes. Each of them nodded their heads. Rose was only half paying attention, her mind was replaying scenes from the rescue.

This had been the first situation in which she had actually participated and the adrenaline rush was even bigger than she'd expected. As it slowly began subsiding, the fog in her brain was replaced with images of a certain brunette which had made her heart flutter not three hours earlier. The skin of her palms still sparked with electricity where Luisa had touched her. 

As the cards had begun sliding across the table evenly among each of the people at the table, Rose pulled out her phone. 

 

**Rose @ 1:02pm**

Hey Luisa, it's Rose

**Luisa @ 1:05pm**

Hey firefighter. How'd the rescue go?

**Rose @ 1:07pm**

I'll tell you tomorrow

**Luisa @ 1:07pm**

On our date? 

 

Rose smiled down at her phone. The words made her heart flutter. 

 

**Rose @ 1:09pm**

Yes! On our date! 

 

"Ruvelle! You betting?", one of the boys asked. Rose looked up at the boys of Unit 14, who were all watching her in anticipation. She hadn't been paying any attention to the game, so she quickly looked at her cards.

"I'll raise you one day of paperwork", she said blindly. 

"Alright! Carter?", Colin said. The observing eyes of the team drifted to the brown-haired man sitting next to her. Rose felt her phone buzz under her leg.

 

**Luisa @ 1:11pm**

Where are you taking me? 

**Rose @ 1:12pm**

I know of a cute coffee shop downtown we could go to. Is 10am ok

**Luisa @ 1:12pm**

That's early! 

**Rose @ 1:13pm**

Is not! 

 **Luisa @ 1:14pm**  

Days off are meant for sleeping in! 

**Rose @ 1:14pm**

I do sleep in on my days off

**Luisa @ 1:15pm**

Yeah? Till when? 

**Rose @ 1:16pm**

On regular days, I get up at 5:00am. On my days off, I get up at 5:30am

**Luisa @ 1:17pm**

Half an hour? That's it? Days off are for relaxing...

**Rose @ 1:17pm**

Yeah! But I can't, I have things to do!

**Rose @ 1:18pm**

Well how long to you sleep in on your days off?

**Luisa @ 1:19pm**

On regular days, I get up at 6am. On my days off, I sleep till noon usually

**Rose @ 1:20pm**

Half the day is already gone by then!

 **Luisa @ 1:20pm**  

The way it's supposed to be ;)

**Rose @ 1:21pm**

Fine then. What time works for you?

 

"Ruvelle! Raising?", Colin asked. Rose looked up from her phone. 

"I'll raise the bet by 2 days", Rose responded without thinking. She still didn't have a clue what was going on in the poker game. Colin nodded and wrote down her answer on the paper in front of him. 

Rose looked back down at her phone as it buzzed again. 

 

 **Luisa @ 1:22pm**  

1pm?

**Rose @ 1:25pm**

Alright! 

**Luisa @ 1:25pm**

See you then, firefighter :P

 

"Ruvelle! Show us what you got", Carter asked as he nudged her shoulder. Rose flipped her cards over. 

"Carter won?", Colin gasped as he looked at the cards.

"I beat Ruvelle!", Carter shouted. He quickly stood up, knocking over his chair. The rest of the table cheered along with the victor. "In your face! You have to do my paperwork for the 8 days!", Carter gloated, pointing at her. 

Rose didn't like losing, she hated the sinking feeling in her stomach when she did. It didn't help that Carter was rubbing it in. 

"I own you", Carter teased. Rose suddenly stood up and into a fighting stance. The rapid action made Carter flinch, throwing his hands up to protect his face. 

"Do you? Are you sure?", Rose smirked. She knew Carter was afraid of her. 

"I don't know, Carter. I think she owns _you_ ", Colin snickered. Carter knew she was strong and could really pack a punch, so he was cautious around her. He grunted as the rest of the Unit laughed at him. 

"Laugh if you want, but I still won", Carter reminded them as he left the room. 

"You never lose. What happened?", Colin asked after the rest of the Unit dispersed. 

"I thought I'd let someone else win for once, just to keep you guys interested", Rose lied. She flashed Colin a grin before heading to her bunk. 

* * *

 Rose opened the door to her apartment and dropped her duffle bag down onto the floor. She took off her shoes and headed for the kitchen for a bite to eat before heading to the bathroom to take a shower. 

After she dried off, she dressed herself in a black tank top and grey panties. Before going to bed, she headed towards the door to grab the container filled with Luisa's cupcakes. 

The chocolatey treats were brought to her bedroom and placed on her nightstand. She really shouldn't have any because she had to stay in shape for work, but in the words of a cute brunette: ' _days off are for relaxing_ '. So she shrugged her shoulders and took a bite of one of the delicious treats. 

* * *

Sweat smudges left traces of fingerprints on her phone as Rose held it close. She looked out her car window and up at the big building. The Marbella Hotel looked beautiful from the outside. Luisa's family must truly have a lot of money by the looks of the fancy tower. 

**Rose @ 12:33pm**

I'm here

 **Luisa @ 12:34pm**  

I'm coming! 

Rose's heart beat sped up. She really wanted this date to go well. Luisa was so different from anyone she had ever met. The girl radiated happiness and energy that was incredibly contagious to anyone near by. Rose wanted so much to spend more time with her. She wanted to feel the sparks that surged under her skin when Luisa touched her. She wanted to feel the goosebumps she got when Luisa smiled at her. She wanted Luisa. 

Rose watched the front doors of the Marbella Hotel, eager to see her date. With each passing second, the butterflies in her stomach grew more and more restless. She was boiling with anticipation until finally, Luisa walked out of the building. 

Rose got out of her car and marvelled at the beautiful brunette. She was wearing a short yellow sundress that showed off her perfectly tanned and shapely legs. 

"Hey", Luisa greeted. Brown eyes trailed up and down Rose's fit figure. 

"Hi", Rose smiled down at the beautiful woman. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first date :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally going to be longer, but I cut it into 2. 
> 
> I'm actually really excited about this chapter and the next one.... hope you enjoy!!

Rose was nervous. With her job (and it's requirements) keeping her so busy, she hadn't really ever had the time to date or to see anyone. When she wasn't at work, she was either working out, reading, grocery shopping, visiting her family or taking care of things at her apartment. She never had much time to really go out and see what the world had in store for her. This date with Luisa was entirely a new thing for Rose and she was both excited and scared to see how it went.

Rose watched as Luisa looked up into the sun. Brown eyes sparkled as the sun rays bounced around within them, turning them a caramel brown. The woman's skin popped against the bright yellow sundress that whipped around as it played childish games with the wind. Luisa scrunched her face adorably under the strong rays before looking back at Rose. 

The red head had worn a white, v-neck t-shirt and jean cut off shorts. She felt a little under dressed compared to how beautiful the shorter woman standing before her looked. The sun wasn't very hot, yet Rose was sweating, probably due to her nerves. She wasn't looking forwards to getting into her hot car. 

"Do you want to walk there instead?", she asked, "It's only a couple blocks from here"

"You read my mind", Luisa said playfully as she hooked her arm around Rose's. Luisa's skin was soft, the gentle touch made the red head shudder. She wondered if he rest of the woman was just as soft. 

"So where are you taking me?", Luisa's voice was laced with joy and wonder. 

"To _Cafe en Rose_ ", Rose smiled as they began walking, the Marbella Hotel shrinking away into the distance. 

"Really?", Luisa laughed. "Sounds fancy"

"It's not, don't worry. It's just word play off of the famous song _La Vie en Rose_ by Edith Piaf", Rose explained. Luisa paused for a moment.

"Do you speak french?", the brunette raised an eyebrow. 

"Oui. Ma famille est francaise", Rose answered with a smile. Women had always found it attractive when she spoke french, she knew it worked like a charm on anyone who didn't speak the language themselves. 

"That's amazing", Luisa sighed with a gentle smile. Obviously Rose's trick had worked, Luisa looked dazed. "Um, you were going to tell me about the fire call from yesterday", Luisa reminded her after a moment of silence. 

"Oh yeah! There was a big car crash on the bridge. There were like 7 cars all piled up"

"Yikes! Was everyone okay?"

"No. Everyone involved was sent to the hospital", Rose frowned. "But on the bright side, I finally got to help with the rescue!", she added.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, every since I got hired on, the chief won't let me help with any of the rescues. He keeps giving me the easy jobs, like making phone calls and moving the truck... things like that. Chief James and I actually went to school together. We were really good friends, but we kind of lost contact after high school. Then suddenly he ended up being my boss at this job and for whatever reason, he treats me like shit. I have no idea why or what happened in those three years after high school when we didn't talk, but something must have. People don't just change like that", Rose began.

"That's not fair! What ever it is, he should put it behind him", Luisa frowned and gripped Rose's bicep a little tighter, sending shivers down the redhead's spine.

"Anyways, I pulled an unconscious woman out of a truck and family of four out of a van. The dad had broken legs and the mom had blunt force trauma to the head, but the kids were fine", Rose said. 

"Wow. What a hero", Luisa teased as she squeezed bicep again and gently nudged into her as they walked. Rose smiled and looked down at her feet as she walked. 

"Tell me about you", Rose said after the pinkish colour had finally disappeared from her cheeks. 

"What do you want to know?", Luisa's eyes looked up at Rose, filled to the brim with mystery. 

"Hmm... Tell me about your job", Rose decided. 

"I'm a doctor. An OB/GYN, to be specific", Luisa began. 

Luisa told her all about her job and Rose happily smiled and nodded as she did. They talked about work until they arrived at the cafe. 

"So you like roses, I see", Luisa teased as they entered the tiny cafe. The walls were covered in vintage rose patterned wallpaper and each table was graced with a bouquet of freshly cut roses. All throughout the tiny cafe, the red flowers could be spotted. It's name fitted perfectly with it's theme. Roses. 

"I do", Rose laughed as the pair sat down at a table. The redhead swooped her long red curls behind her back. 

"It's nice to see you with your hair down", Luisa smiled as she rested her head in her hands, eyes twinkling with dancing reflections from the light above their table. "Although I do miss your uniform", the brunette admitted. 

"Yeah?", Rose laughed. 

"Yeah. I like a woman in uniform", Luisa's eyes darkened slightly with the joking remark. Rose watched the twinkling lights in the brunette's eyes dim ever so slightly. The joy was temporarily accompanied with a gentle, dark tint of sin. Rose smirked and shifted slightly in her chair, gently bumping Luisa's leg. The brunette smiled at the touch. 

They were suddenly interrupted when their waiter approached. "What can I get for you ladies?", the man asked. 

"A coffee and a scone for me", Luisa responded. Rose watched as the woman's smile became even more gentle, which she didn't think was possible. The brunette seemed to glow no matter where she went and Rose was mesmerized by it.

"Miss?", the waiter asked, shaking Rose awake. She had been staring at Luisa for much longer than she had thought. Luisa giggled at a flustered Rose. 

"Just coffee for me, thank you", Rose said shyly. 

"I'll be right back with those", the waiter nodded as he trotted off towards the kitchen. 

"What were you looking at?", Luisa asked, even though she already knew the answer. 

"You", Rose blushed. 

"Why?", Luisa asked, purposefully making Rose even more uncomfortable. 

"Um. I just- I don't know", Rose stammered. Her cheeks were ablaze with embarrassment and she couldn't think of a word to say. She didn't want to tell the brunette the truth, that she was falling for her. She also really wanted to be with Luisa, so she didn't want to say nothing either. "I like your dress", Rose finally said. She bowed her head slightly, disappointed in the words she'd chosen. She should've told Luisa that she looked nice or pretty or something of that genre. 

"Thank you", said Luisa. Rose watched as the brunette's smile disappeared, as if disappointing that she hadn't said something else. 

"You look amazing in it", Rose quickly added, making Luisa smile again, this time it stayed on her face. 

"Here are your drinks", the waiter said as he placed a tray down on the table. Both women began sipping their coffee and talking.

"So what did you do this morning, since you get up way too early?", Luisa asked as she bumped her bare legs against Rose's. The red head laughed. 

"I actually took your advice and slept in until 7am", Rose smiled.

Luisa animatedly gasped, putting her hand on her chest to add affect. "Rose relaxing? From what I know about you, that's hard to believe", Luisa teased. 

"I know and it felt pretty good too"

"I'm glad you see it my way", Luisa placed her hand atop Rose's, which had been resting on the table. The contact made Rose's heart flutter. She looked down at their hands and smiled. The warmth from Luisa's hand seeped down into her own. 

"You should show me _your way_ more often", Rose smirked as she flipped her hand over to squeezed Luisa's.

"I will", Luisa smirked back. "So besides sleeping in, what else did you do?"

"I did some things around the house and did a workout", Rose answered. She then lifted her cup to her lips and finished the last of her coffee.

"Ready to walk back?", Luisa asked after she too, had finished her coffee. Rose nodded and pulled out her purse to pay. After leaving the correct amount of change on the table, the two women left.

On the way back to the Marbella hotel, they walked a little slower. Rose was dreading saying goodbye, something about being in Luisa's presence was soothing and made her feel warm. She couldn't explain what she was feeling and why it came on so fast, but she knew that the way she felt was real and it scared her slightly. They talked the entire way back, laughing and joking. The more they talked, the happier and more at ease Rose felt. By the time the Marbella hotel came into sight, Rose had completely gotten over her first date nerves. She was having a great time and Luisa seemed to be feeling the same because at some point during the walk, Luisa had slipped her hand into Rose's, which Rose didn't mind at all, she enjoyed the contact. 

"So when will I see you again?", Luisa asked with a smile, "Or do you want to come upstairs?", she added. 

"I'd love to", Rose smiled. Luisa lead her inside the glorious building and towards the elevator. "Wow, this is a beautiful hotel", Rose remarked.

"Yeah. My dad has a lot of money, which I hate because he thinks that it solves everything", Luisa scoffed. 

"What do you mean?", Rose raised an eyebrow. 

"He's been missing all my parties and family dinners and thinks he can make everything between us okay again by giving me money", Luisa explained as she pressed the button on the elevator. 

"Oh. That sucks", Rose sighed as the elevator doors shut. Not long after, the doors opened on Luisa's floor and they both headed for her apartment. 

"I know we just had coffee, but can I get you anything to drink?", Luisa asked as she closed the front door behind them and headed for the kitchen. 

"Water please", Rose smiled as she followed Luisa to the kitchen. 

"Here's a glass", Luisa narrated as she handed Rose the cup and pointed to the sink. "You can just fill it with the tap", Luisa instructed as she grabbed some sweets from her fridge. Rose nodded and went to the sink. She ran the water and placed a finger beneath the flow, waiting for it to get cold. 

"Is it not getting cold?", Luisa asked after she noticed the tap had been running a while. 

"No, it's getting hotter actually", she said as she fiddled with the tap. Luisa came up behind Rose, placing a hand on the red head's hip while the other hand took hold of the tap. Rose's mind went numb and air caught in her throat as she felt Luisa's front pressed against her back. 

"Hmm, you're right", Luisa said calmly as if the bodily contact between them was having absolutely no affect on her. 

"Let me try again", Rose mumbled as she grabbed the nob and pushed it hard to the left, purposefully pushing her butt backwards and into Luisa. Rose heard Luisa gasp and smiled. 

"I guess it's broken", Luisa's voice was much softer. The hot breath of her words snaking along Rose's neck, making her shudder. 

The pressure Rose was putting on the tap suddenly caused it to unscrew from the sink, spraying water on the two woman who yelped in shock. Rose quickly screwed the tap back on, stopping the frenzied spray of water.

"I'm so sorry", Rose laughed as she looked over to Luisa, who's make up had began to run a bit. They were both soaking wet.

"It's okay, it's not your fault", Luisa laughed as she ran her eyes over the other woman's pale body. Rose looked down at herself, suddenly realizing that her t-shirt had become completely see-through.

"I can lend you a shirt if you like", Luisa offered, somehow reading Rose's mind. Rose nodded and followed Luisa to her bedroom, the two leaving a trail of water behind them. Luisa closed the door behind them and took off her dress, leaving her in her bra and underwear. Rose's eyes widened and she felt her knees weaken. Luisa was every inch as beautiful half-naked as she was in the pretty dress she was wearing just minutes earlier. It was hard not to stare as the tanned woman searched her closet for something else to wear. Luisa reached up onto the top shelf, searching for a shirt. 

"You can just throw your shirt on the chair and I'll put it in the dryer in a sec", Luisa instructed as she continued searching. Rose immediately obeyed and removed her shirt, throwing it on the designated chair. Luisa grunted in frustration. 

"I can't reach it", she mumbled. "Can you-", she started as she turned around to see Rose topless. Luisa trailed her eyes over Rose's toned abs and momentarily got lost in them. "Can you grab the stack of shirts from the top shelf?", Luisa finally said. 

Rose nodded and reached up from behind Luisa, brushing their bare skin together. A gasp escaped Luisa's lips. 

"Here", Rose said softly as she pulled down the stack. The red head's eyes locked with a pair of caramel ones in a silent battle. Rose's gaze fell to a pair of red lips that looked soft and inviting as they slowly formed a grin. She could feel the woman's hot breath on her neck and could smell the woman's perfume as they were barely more than an inch apart. Suddenly the brunette pushed up and closed the gap between them, throwing her arms around Rose's neck and kissing her. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment to let me know what you think! They're encouraging and help me to improve as a writer. 
> 
> You can also find me on twitter: @AgentCarterSSR I don't bite!


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